Teens charged in break-in, theft, damage at town pool

Forlenza said the juveniles were charged with burglary, theft,
and criminal mischief. He said Detectives Mark Garcia and Robert
Treiber made the arrests. Pool Manager Frank Newman said he
discovered damage to the fence and snack stand when he arrived at
the pool in the morning on Sunday, Aug. 5.

He said the pool was scheduled to open at noon, but he had to
keep patrons out of the pool in the 90-degree heat until 2:30 p.m.
Sunday. "It was like somebody pulled my heart out," Newman said of
his reaction to the damage, some of which he declined to specify.
"It ruined the day."

Newman said he was only able to prepare the pool for swimming as
quickly as he did through the use of a new Maxi-Sweep motorized
vacuum-filtration system the borough purchased this summer. The
self-contained, gasoline-powered cleaner combines "a debris catcher
and three huge filters," he said. "I cleaned the pool and got the
chlorine to a high enough state to swim in, " Newman said of his
preparation for the swimmers.

"I discharged the water and 'shocked' it, so we were good to
go." Newman and pool assistant manager John Conway Jr. win plaudits
from resident s for the sparkling water at the pool and the
immaculate condition of the grounds. Newman said he tends the
landscaping at the complex as if it were his own
backyard.

Based on the damage at the pool, Newman said it seems the
perpetrators first broke the fence and took a piece of pipe off of
it, which was used to smash in the serving hatch on the snack
stand. He said an undetermined amount of candy and ice cream was
stolen and slush was thrown around inside a freezer.

Towels and other debris were thrown in the pool, Newman said.
The vandals destroyed an exterior shower "on the way out," he said.
"They were on a destructive path when they left," Newman said of
the vandals. He noted a dumpster had been overturned behind the
Recreation Center building in the adjacent municipal complex, and a
paddle court and tennis court there were "trashed" with road cones
and other debris.

"The detectives did a great job," Newman said of the police
investigation, which included photographs at the scene. On Monday
police returned to say they had made arrests in the case, he said.
Newman said he was able to repair the outdoor shower by Tuesday,
Aug. 7. He said it is used frequently by men who play volleyball at
the pool complex. The names of the juveniles were not released by
police. The charges against them will be heard in county Juvenile
Court in Morristown.

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html